Since Season 20 will be a big 10 year anniversary for DWTS, I thought it would be a nice idea to take the time to look back on each of the past seasons, and see and discuss how the show evolved. We’ll do one season a week, and one dance from each of the contestants. If possible, I’ll try to find a pro dance from the season.

So here we are!

SEASON ONE premiered June 1, 2005 and ran for 6 weeks. with 6 stars competing. Harold Wheeler Orchestra and his singers provided the music, and we had 3 judges, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba. Tom Bergeron was our host, and his co-host number one was Lisa Canning.

TRISTA SUTTER and LOUIS VAN AMSTEL was the first couple eliminated on DWTS. They danced a waltz and a rumba, and left the show on June 8, 2005. Here’s their waltz.

EVANDER HOLYFIELD and EDYTA SLIWINSKA was the second couple eliminated, on June 15, 2005. They danced a cha cha, quickstep and a jive. Here’s their quickstep. Read more..

This is Lori and thank you to @DWTS Gossip for finding and posting the interview below. It’s not to be missed, especially if you want to know more about Keoikantse Motsepe. And you should, because I think he is going to quickly become one of the favorites! This is Keo, in his own words, and he pronounces his name. Thank you, Keo!!!

And in other news, @dancingABC STILL has not announced their 13th Pro!! But did find this photo of our Karina.

Lori here….and this is a DRAMA FREE ZONE! I’ve been thinking about this post for the last few weeks, kind of keeping it in the back of my mind and waiting for the right time. At first, I thought that between seasons might be it, as a way to close out what’s been a very interesting Dancing season.

Instead, we’ve all seen, and discussed, some pretty bad stuff posted about people who have been putting their hearts and souls and bodies through a lot just to provide us with ENTERTAINMENT!! And it’s brought the tone of the season down, for me at least.

So in appreciation to our WONDERFUL Finalists for DWTS Season 18, I’d like EVERYONE to post something positive about each. Even if you are supporting one pair more than the others, POST SOMETHING ABOUT EACH! I’ll try to keep this updated with your responses.

ANYTHING that I (or one of the other mods) deem as negative WILL BE DELETED, this is your only warning.

MERYL AND MAKS

Meryl, you are an incredible dancer, and I’ve admired how calm you’ve been able to be all season. Maks, I appreciate the work you’ve done for yourself and your partner, to try to make this the best season for Meryl. –LoriRead more..

This is Lori! That Switcheroo Thingy is upon us already and I am DREADING it!!!!! I don’t want it to happen, but it’s going to happen!!!

Apparently, the viewers are going to vote after the first elimination, for the Switch to happen (I am guessing) in week 3. And I am going to guess that TPTB are still trying to decide how they’re going to work it. Knowing them, they’re screw it up. Here is what what we know about the switcheroo, make sure you read if you’ve not already.

Anyway, since we are going to be STUCK with it, I thought we could take the time to share how WE would match them up. For our purposes, we will ignore the elimination, and just match all 12 celebrities to a pro, and since I don’t know how they’re planning it, I’m adding the Troupe in also.

Here’s the Celebrities:

Danica

Amy

Candace

NeNe

Diana

Meryl

Charlie

Cody

James

Billy Dee

Sean

Drew

Here’s the Pros:

Cheryl

Karina

Witney

Emma

Sharna

Peta

Lindsey

Jenna

Derek

Val

Maks

Tony

Mark

Henry

Sasha

Artem

So…. YOUR job now is to rematch the celebrities to a different pro, and unfortunately, ALL must be rematched. How would you do it, and why would you make the choices you did?

Here are mine. I picked two same sex couples, but, that doesn’t mean that the couples can be same sex or not for what they have planned.

1. Amy and Henry. I want her to stay with Derek, but since she can’t, I figured he is closer than the other choices. Or Sasha.

2. Diana and Cheryl, because Diana said she wouldn’t mind dancing with Cheryl.

3. Drew and Derek, because I liked that ad, and I’m sure that both Drew and Derek can come up with a creative dance full of humor.

4. Charlie and Karina because she is a top choreographer.

5. Candace and Val. No real reason, I just would like to see how he would work with her.

6. NeNe and Maks just to see if there’s fireworks

7. Meryl and Mark because he’s shorter than Maks.

8. Danica and Artem just to see what he can do, since I’m not familiar with him. I figure one week might be fine. Or Sasha.

9. Sean and Peta would make a gorgeous pair.

10. Cody and Emma because she’s young, and I’d love to see what she can do with a young partner

11. James and Sharna would make another gorgeous pair.

12. Billy Dee and Tony. This was BY FAR the hardest pair for me. I wanted to keep BDW with a female partner, but the ones I had left, I felt were just too young to pair with him, and I didn’t really want to shuffle the others around. Tony’s always done well with older partners, so I chose Tony…. With a lot of hesitation.

First, let’s WELCOME! the new cast of Dancing With The Stars, Season 18! If anything, this season will have people talking! I don’t know if that will be a good thing or a bad thing yet. Time will tell. Here’s a quick bio of our new cast, since it is unusual that everyone knows everyone. None of them will be complete, so I’m sure there’s things that you think I should have added. Put it into the comments section, please.

DANICA MCKELLER is 39 years old and has lived in the Los Angeles area for most of her life. Since it is stated in her IMDB profile that her mom owned a dance studio, it is probably safe to assume that she has had dance training. She was Winnie Cooper on “Wonder Years,” and I am old enough that I remember when that show was first on! She’s very intelligent, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA as a Math major, and has written a few books to help youth with math (I think…) In other words, she’s beauty AND brains! Danica is paired with Val Chmerkovskiy. I’m not sure yet about this couple. They look good together, and they will get past the halfway part of the season, because they look good together. That means they have TONS of chemistry to the judges, whether we can see it or not.

CODY SIMPSON is 17 years old and from Australia. He DOES have a girlfriend, she’s the daughter of one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills so if TPTB were hoping for some romance between him and Witney, they’re out of luck! And he’s a singer. And honestly, that’s about it! And he seems to be extremely popular on Social Media. Cody is paired with Witney Carson. This is her 1st season as a teaching pro, she spent 2 seasons in the Troupe, immediately following a season on SYTYCD. I will be honest, I was completely against pairing them up, and I still am against pairing them up. Yes, they needed someone young, since they cast a teenaged boy, but I think she’s too untested. I know Zendaya was the same age, but teenage boys do mature slower than girls. I keep remembering the other Cody, who was 19 when he was on. This Cody is even younger, so I do think that while he does need a younger female pro, he also needs someone quite mature, and I think Witney is too untested yet. And, I don’t think I know her choreography skills. I think she’s the latest in a long line of them trying to find Julianne 2.0 and I don’t think it will succeed. Again, they’re young and cute and look good together, so to the judges, it will equal “tons of chemistry.” Read more..

This is just an appreciation post for the Orchestra, led by Harold the Amazing Musical Wizard! Without him, and the orchestra, DWTS probably wouldn’t have become the powerhouse show that it’s been for several years now. Without them, I think we will lose an integral part of the show, since Harold worked well with the pros to create the best music for each dance. Let’s face it, many songs that they’ve had to deal with were HORRIBLE choices, and Harold Wheeler and the Orchestra and our pros somehow managed to MAKE the songs and the dance styles fit together. Nathan’s post did a great job starting the discussion, and now we know that the orchestra has indeed been cut, all we can do is “deal with it” even if we don’t want to. I would MUCH prefer that they all be rehired, but I’m just one viewer, and what I want is supposed to be what they tell me I am supposed to want for the show, whether it’s what I really want or not. Yes, send emails. But if they get enough, will they simply delete unread? I’d LOVE if we could find a LOT of dances to put here, and hope that sometime, someone from our wonderful orchestra can read and realize how much we really appreciate how much they’ve done for DWTS. We know, and we appreciate, and we will remember. And THANK YOU for all of your hard work and dedication, they will not be forgotten.

I love that Harold was the one who did the musical arrangements for every song that they’ve played over the last 17 seasons. I love that he’s ALWAYS been very respectful of the music, of the original, and many times, of the professional dancer and the dance itself.

It can’t be easy to basically rewrite that many songs every week, so that they everything meshes best… Harold and the orchestra were truly the best!!

I’ve always loved the dances where the professional worked closely with Harold to change details in the songs to better fit the dance… Derek was always great with that, but several others were, too. I almost feel as if I’m in mourning for the loss of the orchestra, and the dancers ability to make better use of a crappy song.

I’d love to add as many dances to this post, so if you think of any, add it in the comments… DO NOT POST LINKS! but instead, PLEASE try to give me the couple and the season, and which dance style. I don’t know if I will be able to find them if you give me the song titles without the dance. They’ll be added when possible, please be patient.

Let’s not forget Season 17’s PLUGGED/UNPLUGGED challenge during semi-finals, where each couple did 2 different dance styles to the same song. That NEVER would have been possible without OUR orchestra. And, we have THESE dances to remember…

I’m raising my hand, and admitting that some of my FAVORITE contestants on DWTS since season 3, have been the ones that didn’t win… The ones who had a LOT going against them even before they started the season. How many times have we heard one of the following about a contestant?

“How could they cast….?” “NO ONE is ever going to vote for…” “I hope they quit before they start and save themselves the embarrassment!” “Does anyone ever google and see how awful this person is???” It’s DEFINITELY not fair to anyone, when we say or hear things like that. They’re the ones who put themselves out there on the show, and they’re the ones who ended up showing us someone completely different than what we thought. With the help of a very patient professional, they’ve been able to surprise us, and sometimes themselves, and shown a completely different person than who we thought we would see! I love watching the transformations of each of the contestants, and I always love to “see” someone grow and blossom!

This by far ISN’T going to be a complete list, but here are some Underdog Charmers from previous seasons.

Andy Dick from Season 16 taught by Sharna Burgess. Andy’s fresh in our minds, and I am NOT going to go back through his history, since it wasn’t that long ago that it was all brought up again. But, he DEFINITELY ended up charming everyone, and showing a side of himself that I don’t know he even knew he had!
Here’s Andy’s dances for you to enjoy again!Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7

Lil Kim from Season 8 and Joanna Krupa from Season 9 both taught by Derek Hough. I’m putting both of them together for a reason. Kim came into her season with people determined to hate her, thinking that there was NO WAY that she should be on, since she had spent some time in jail. Joanna came into her season after attempting another reality competition show, where she was paired with a professional athlete, and had a public breakdown, with many words said that were not repeatable. And, since that show aired not long before her season of DWTS, it was fresh in people’s minds, and again, she came in as an underdog. Here are most of their dances to relive!
Lil Kim: Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Week 8Week 9
Joanna: Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 6Week 7Week 8Week 9 *I did not include Week 5 for Joanna, because Derek was ill with the flu, and was replaced by Maks for that week only. I could have included that week, but chose not to, just to make it easier on me.

Adam Carolla from Season 6 taught by Julianne Hough. Adam is the first one that I can remember, where there was “visible noise” surrounding his announcement, both over his questionable past, and being paired with Julianne. They even had precautions in place, since they weren’t sure “who” he would end up being on the show. I remember that the trigger-happy censors were so sure that he would need to be bleeped, that they ended up bleeping Julianne instead! He survived 4 weeks, against all odds! It was fun rewatching his dances, because he definitely knew how to crack everyone up back stage! Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4

Soo…… I didn’t put everyone that I could have included in this post, we’ve had MANY contestants that would fit here, so I’m looking to do more posts, with MORE of our Underdog Charmers! Who would YOU include, and why? Who do you think people were NOT looking forward to see dance, because of their pasts, only to be charmed by THEM?

Well, we’ve completed 3 weeks of Season 16, and I think it’s time to look at our new pros, and hear some comments from you. I figured that now is a good time to start, since we still have all 3 of the new pros, I’m not sure how long they’ll last. So, I think it’s Interim Report time!

SHARNA BURGESS came to us first in the Troupe, where honestly, I didn’t notice her much, other than as a brunette among a sea of blonde female dancers. She’s paired with Andy Dick, a comedian.Andy and Sharna’s Week 1 Foxtrot They earned a 6, 5, 6 for 17 points for week 1.Andy and Sharna’s Week 2 Jazz They earned a 7, 6, 7 for a total of 20 points, and 37 for the first 2 weeks. They were placed In Jeopardy in the first Results show.Andy and Sharna’s Week 3 Cha Cha Cha They earned a 6, 6, 6 for a total of 18 points for week 3. They were placed in the Bottom 2 in the Results show.
They earned 55 points for the first 3 weeks of competition.

GLEB SAVCHENKO is originally from Russia, but came to us from Australia, where he was a professional dancer on DWTS Australia last year. He is paired with Lisa Vanderpump, a Real Housewife and restauranteur.Lisa and Gleb’s Week 1 Foxtrot They earned a 6, 6, 6 for a total of 18 points for week 1.Lisa and Gleb’s Week 2 Jive They earned a 6, 6, 6 for 18 points for week 2 and a total of 36 for the first two weeks. They were in the bottom 2 in the Results show.Lisa and Gleb’s Week 3 Viennese Waltz They earned a 7, 7, 7 for a total of 21 points.
They earned 57 points for the first 3 weeks of competition.

This past Monday was a very emotional one for Carrie Ann, her father, Rodney, passed away this past Thursday.

In her Style Blog in People, Carrie Ann talks about her dress and jewels for the show, but also opens up about losing her father.

Monday night’s fashion choices were important because it was the premiere … but also for other, personal reasons. I needed to feel safe and comfortable. You see, last night was really emotional for me.

My father, Rodney Y. Inaba, passed away this past Thursday morning and it’s been a really challenging time. Losing a loved one is something that is so very hard to understand and cope with. I’m filled with a tremendous sadness but also a relief, for he is in a better place now.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it through the show with all the emotions that have been overflowing. But I felt my father’s spirit was with me last night, supporting me and cheering me on. And I dedicated the show to him, in gratitude for all that he taught me about life; for his bravery, his courage, his huge heart and his love for the underdog.

He was a special man and to know him was to love him. He was a pioneer, an entrepreneur, an animal lover and he was never afraid to speak his mind. I think I got some of this from him. I’m grateful for the gifts he has bestowed upon me. And in honor of my father, I chose to do the first show and not take the time off because in my heart, I know he would have wanted it that way.

I want to thank my team (hairstylist Anna Maria Orzano, makeup artist Jojo McCarthy and my stylist Kit), Len, Bruno and the ABC and BBC family for supporting me throughout this challenging time and for helping me through the first show.

Dad, I know you’re up there dancing in joy (he used to do a little ballroom/social dancing when he was in the service). I love you.

Carrie Ann, everyone here at Pure DWTS are very sorry for your loss, and can understand the difficulty you’re going through right now.

Well DWTSers, it looks like they’re expanding the Troupe this year, from 6 dancers to 8! Sharna was promoted out of the troupe this season, so we knew we would get at least one new pro troupe members. Instead, we get THREE!

First, ELENA SAMODANOVA… She comes to us from Australia’s DWTS, like Gleb, who is one of our new teaching pros.

Elena was born in a dance family so she started dancing before walking. Since her infant years Elena has always been on the dance floor dancing to all different styles of music..

During her youth Elena has won many Russian championships and awards in Latin American and Ballroom genres internationally.
Elena became a professional dancer at the tender age of 16 and she became the “World Youngest Professional Latin American Dancer” and soon after such, Elena was ranked the Top 20 dance couple in the world ranking in Latin American genre. Even since she has been performing, teaching and competing all over Europe and Asia.

The next decade marked further special achievements in Elena’s career in which she won many more international competitions and championships around the world. In 2009 she hit the Top 10 professional dancers in the World ranking of Latin American. Elena’s titles include being the Asian Professional Champion, Hong Kong Champion, Japanese Champion, Singaporean Champion and England Champion.

Elena has obtained her official certificate as a professional Latin American and Ballroom professional dance teacher and has the highest credentials and qualifications to teach in Russia, Hong Kong, England and Australia.
At this moment Elena Samodanova is the National Australian Professional Latin American Champion having won the 4 major dance titles down under and as a result she will now be representing Australian on the next World Dance Championship this November. This year Elena also makes her DANCING WITH THE STARS debut.

ADDING: What fun! I finally realized that I could possibly find more about our new troupe dancers on You Tube! Elena WAS on DWTS Australia, but my computer wasn’t cooperating with me to play any of those videos! However, I DID find one of her dancing the Paso with Gleb! And, since he’s a New Pro, and one we HAVEN’T seen dance yet, here’s our opportunity!Elena and Gleb dancing Paso at a private function, 2009(ish)

Second, WITNEY CARSON… Witney competed this past summer on So You Think You Can Dance along side her friend Lindsay, who is now one of our new teaching pros.

Witney Carson was born and raised in American Fork, UT. Witney has been dancing since the age of 3; training, performing, and competing has been her life. Her specialty dance is Ballroom. She recently graduated from American Fork High School, and is ready to start her new adult life!

Unfortunately, my search has come up scarce, and all I could find on Julz is what’s on his twitter bio, Dancing With The Stars season 16 cast member. International Ballroom and Latin American Champion, Dance Teacher/Coach, Model, Actor and a whole lot more people. That, and he has Gleb and Jason Gilikson on his facebook friends list.

ADDING: Julz was dancing in Australia on the show, “Everybody Dance Now 2012″ which ran only one season, and was cancelled. I did find one video with him dancing with his partner Annalisa. He’s in the first 5 minutes of the video…Julz and Annalisa, “Everybody Dance Now” Australia 2012

If you know or can find anything more on Elena, Witney or Julz, PLEASE let us know in the comments, with url or documentation, and we’ll add it and credit you. Unfortunately, all 3 are new to me.